FLINK

The FLINK app is the communication app for everyone - no matter how tech-savvy you are. The FLINK app makes it easy to communicate via text, voice, pictures and video. It is possible to customize the features of the app to each senior's unique technology level and continuously adapt the features to the learning curve.

The app can be downloaded to iOS and Android.

Purpose

Make digital communities accessible to all seniors, regardless of their technology level, and thus help more seniors get a better social life.

Target group

Seniors (+65 y/o) who have difficulties using mainstream communication technology.

The relatives to the seniors – children, grandchildren and/or friends.

Impact for citizen

Makes it easy to stay in touch with friends and family for seniors who have difficulties using mainstream communication technology. Thus, FLINK helps seniors to reduce social loneliness and get a better social life. It has a great impact on their dignity, well-being and health.

In addition, better communication across the generations in the family also benefits the other family members. The relatives have reduced the feeling of bad conscience by neglecting contact with the seniors and are experiencing the joy of more contact. After all, having great family relations are one of the most important things in life for all of us.

Impact for staff

B2C product. Not relevant.

Economic impact

In Denmark, 50.000 seniors are lonely in a way that affect their everyday life in a negative way. Loneliness has major negative consequences both for the individual and for society. Loneliness costs our society DKK 8 billion per year.FLINK reduces social loneliness and increases mental health, having a positive social and economic impact on society.

Cost of product

It is a new product and can still be downloaded for free. In the long term, the idea is that high activity users subscribe to pay a monthly fee each month to use FLINK.

Life expectancy of product

It is software. Not relevant.

Other costs of acquisition and setup

No.

Expected annual costs

Still free.

Special requirements

The user needs a smartphone or a tablet with internet connection.

Is the product for personal use or can it be used by (how) many people?

Not relevant.

Is the product intended for training purposes?

Not directly.

How much time is needed for the user or staff to get to know how to use of the product?

A few minutes. The value proposition of FLINK is that it is very simple and intuitive and easy to get started – also for seniors with low digital capabilities.

Has the product been presented before at other exhibitions or venues?

Has been presented at DokkX. FLINK will soon be presented at Seniorfestivalen 2019.

Experiences from practice (examples)

Seniors find it difficult to keep up with their children and grandchildren through digital channels today, and therefore they often experience being disconnected. With FLINK we have seen several examples of the problem coming to an end.

Example: We have a 93-year-old user who almost never have used technology before and was sceptical in advance, who has ended up becoming a high activity user of FLINK.

In general, we hear from our users that with the FLINK app, they can now easily share small everyday moments which they would not otherwise have shared. It has a great impact on how often they are in touch – some have gone from a few times a month to being in daily contact. It also gives much more to talk about on the phone or at visits, because now they know much more about what is going on in each other’s lives.

Cases stories

Nanna and her grandmother have gone from talking on the phone a couple of times a month to being in daily contact. See the case-video on YouTube.